Civil Marriage

Question: Civil Marriage? My boyfriend and i live in separate places, I live in Canada and he now lives in the united states.. he wants to marry me as soon as possible so i can stay in the states with him and have a big wedding later. I want to know where i can find the process of a civil marriage in the states?

Answer: I had a Canadian friend recently marry a guy from New York. It took months for the papers to process. You have to get a physical exam, go through an interview and fill out loads of paperwork to be processed in order to be allowed a visa to come to the US and get married and then you have to get married within a certain time. If I were you I'd google it to see what you have to do to be allowed in the states to marry. Yes you'll become a US citizen once you're married and in the end I think it's faster to do that then to become a citizen and then get married. See if there's an email address to his local courthouse and email them or call them. Or he could call. They should know what you need to do. You could also call your local courthouse/clerk's office. While you don't plan to marry there, they should still have the information.

Question: civil marriage? what happens at a civil marriage??

Answer: A Civil Partnership is very similar to a registry office wedding but you are unable to have anything religious ie readings or music. It can be tailored to how you want it to be. You can have your own vows and readings and music etc.

Question: If civil unions and marriage are equal in all but name, why not get rid of civil marriage? If civil unions confer equal rights to marriage, then why can't we just have everyone get civil unions? If people wanted to be married by the religion of their choice, they could still do so but the state would not be involved. After all, opposition to gay marriage is purely rooted in religious beliefs, right?

Answer: Marriage is a religious ceremony. It should not even be recognized by a secular government. Think about it. Priests and Pastors and Rabbis and such have the right to perform legal procedures????

Question: Civil marriage before catholic marriage. How does this work? ? My fiance are having a catholic ceremony in May. Our reasoning for the catholic ceremony is really for our family and we our both catholic although I am not really a practicing catholic. I just lost my job and we need to get married ASAP so I can get on his insurance. So we were just going to go to the courthouse for a civil marriage and then still have our catholic service. How does this work? Will the church find out if we have a civil service first?

Answer: Yes, the church will find out when they tell you to get a marriage license, and you already have one that is signed and says you are married. If you don't live together and don't have sex in between the time of your civil marriage and your Catholic wedding, it should be no big deal. Just TELL THE PRIEST -- don't try to hide it. Also, you don't have to get married ASAP to get on his insurance -- you can do COBRA until the wedding. U.S. employers are required by law to offer it to you. And you could also get private insurance -- call your insurance rep for information.

Question: Is it possible to have the customery marriage before the civil marriage? What will be the penalty rite? Is it possible to have the customary marriage in another country(which isn't legalized recognised) before the civil marriage in own country and thereafter another customary marriage again in own country? What will be the penalty for it if found out..how much fine?

Answer: Yes, it's possible. In the U.S. many people have more than one marriage ceremony, especially if they forget to get a marriage license the first time. Sometimes people choose to "renew their vows" with another ceremony after several years of marriage. Sometimes people have a brief civil ceremony which is filed with the court, and then later have a more elaborate ceremony. You can have as many ceremonies as you want.

Question: How many witnesses for civil marriage? My fiance and I are planning to get a civil marriage. I know you need 2 witnesses to be present. But how many can i have in total? Is there a maximum number of people we could have to be there with us?

Answer: I don't think there is a maximum. Check with the courthouse or where ever you are having it and ask.

Question: Can a civil marriage be changed to a catholic one? If two people are married in a civil ceremony, can the marriage be recognized by the church later on?

Answer: Yes. This is called a Convalidation of Marriage. Here is an article about the steps involved: http://www.americancatholic.org/Newslett… Talk to your parish priest to get the process started. For more information, see the Code of Canon Law, paragraphs 1156 and following: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__… With love and prayers in Christ.

Question: What should i wear in my civil marriage ceremony in the city clerk? Hi, I'm gonna have my civil marriage ceremony this in a couple of weeks, I haven't decided what to wear that day, I don´t know what it is the appropiate clothing, however I don`t wanna look so fancy but either so undressed ... Please help me, I'm 24.... And it`s a special day for me .... I'd appreciate your advices

Answer: You could really wear anything you wanted to the wedding, including a big old poofy wedding dress. No one will think you odd for doing so. Whatever you do, wear white or ivory so you feel like a bride. These are nice, and have that dressy but not too dressy look to them. http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/in… http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/in… http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/in… http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/in… http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/in… http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/in… http://www.davidsbridal.com/webapp/wcs/s… http://www.davidsbridal.com/webapp/wcs/s…

Question: Can a non clergy perform our wedding ceremony after having the civil marriage? We have obtained our marriage license and will be married in a civil ceremony at City Hall. The week after that we are celebrating by having a second ceremony and inviting friends and family. I was wondering if since we will already be officially be married do we still need to hire a wedding officiant of the clergy to perform the second wedding ceremony or can anyone do it?

Answer: It's not actually a wedding and they're not actually officiating so they will NOT pronounce you married. You can use whomever you choose.

Question: How can I can obtain other person's civil marriage certificate in Australia? How can I can obtain another's civil marriage certificate in Australia? What BASIC information I should know? Where I should go? How much is it? Can I ask for one by mail?

Answer: As a general rule, you can't obtain someone else's marriage certificate. Following is a page that has links to registrars in all Australian states: http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/links/links.ht… If by 'civil' marriage certificate, you mean a certificate for something other than a legal marriage between a man and a woman, such unions take place, but are not legally recognised in Australia and I don't know where you would obtain a copy of any certificate that may have been issued.

Question: If you get married in the Church of England,is it a civil marriage or a religious marriage? They issue you with a marriage certificate or a common licence after the banns have been read right. So does that mean its a civil marriage?

Answer: Both - you have to sign the register like any other married couple. x

Question: Is a civil marriage contract legal, when it is sent from the US? I am a male, wishing to marry a male, who's an american citizen. He told me he will send me a marriage civil union contract notarized in the US. As soon as it arrives to Europe, I have to go and sign it at the notary publics. But I find this idea a bit strange. Would please tell me what kind of paper is and does this paper have anu legislative power? Does this paper gives me automatically a visa? I don't understand it very well. Please, help me! Thank you very much in advance!

Answer: My advice is to go talk to a lawyer, and ask him what he thinks. Can this be done? Is it legal? He can tell you everything you need to know!

Question: How can I get my civil marriage certificate? I got married overseas and was a religious ceremony and also got marriage certificate which is not accepted in the u.s. How can i get civil marriage certificate??

Answer: Contact the place where you got married - something like our County Clerk's office. Good luck

Question: What is customary marriage and civil marriage? I have a cousin who is pregnant now and therefore is planning to get married, however, she's saying something about customary marriage before civil marriage being illegal, i want to help her but i don't understand what is wrong here.

Answer: its something u have to do before u get the customary marriage, so u have to do it and then get "really" married

Question: how to have a civil marriage in burlington county, new jersey? me and my fiancee decided that we wanted to have a civil marriage, nothing too major just something small but meaningful. how would we go about doing that, and how log would it take until we can have the ceremony?

Answer: Poopypus pretty much summed it up. All marriages, as far as the state is concerned, are civil marriages so all you have to do is fulfill the state requirements (ie blood test, purchase the marriage certificate, etc) and you can get married. Doesn't take long. Call the county courthouse and ask them what you need to do. You can still have a wedding though. Weddings do not have to be religious in nature. You don't have to have either or. You can have both but if you want to forgo a wedding because you don't want the hassle or you don't think you can afford it (you probably can if you don't buy into they hype), and you just want to be legally bound to each other, than all you to do is what the state requires.

Question: what is the cost for civil marriage in Philippines? I am going to ask my gf to marry me when I am in the Philippines next month. I know about the cert. from the US Embassy that I need to get. I just need to know what a civil marriage will cost?

Answer: just be very warey

Question: I'm Brazilian and my boyfriend is Australian. What types of civil marriage are there in Aus? He is talking about getting married in Australia and living there. I'd like to know what are my rights in this relationship? what types of civil marriage are there in Australia? And what do I need to consider in doing that? It's a big change im my life.

Answer: check the following out - this will at least tell you the legal requirements. Getting married in Australia The Attorney-General's Department provides information related to getting married in Australia. http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Pag… ************ marriage is a BIG step regardless of the logistics- leaving family,friends,things that are familiar to you. My younger daughter moved 3000+ ks away to be with her boyfriend & she was still in Australia.This was about 9 years ago . She has since moved a couple of times - BUT is still that far away in a different direction.For me to visit her , it requires a 2/3 hour plane trip followed by a further 2.5hour drive. She has at times found the distance from her family difficult Before you make the move ; make sure that you have given consideration to your ongoing contact with family etc, How often will you be able to visit them.What is the likelihood of your being homesick? Are you a person who will be able to make friends fairly easily? Are you going to be able to work if you wish to?( check out what visas you would need) Regardless of your proposed move - have you discussed things like having children , schooling them, religious beliefs, financial arrangements - particularly if you wont be able to work. thesse are just some other things for you to think about. Have you ever been to Australia? Maybe see about coming for a holiday before deciding about moivng here.

Question: Civil marriage??? My fiance and I are looking into getting married by a judge in the town we live in. My family lives 700 miles away and most wont come. I would like to have the reception in my home town (fiance agrees) but i dont know how to go about inviting people to just a reception, what to have at the reception (we are trying to save $), etc. What should i wear to be married? it will be at a courthouse. What do i wear to the reception? I'm totally lost here. Please help

Answer: We found ourselves in a similar situation, with my husband being military and having to change our date THREE times. We finally just got married right after Christmas with only a couple of friends and my parents/grandparents there, and then had a reception about 1.5 months later. We sent out wedding announcements with RSVPs for the the reception. We did all the food ourselves.... take out Chinese (a HUGE hit), food we prepared from Costco (or Sam's Club if you have one near you), Subway party subs, chips, crackers, fruit trays, etc. We had sodas, bottled water, beer & champagne for toasting. We held it in a local park and did all our own work. I wore my wedding gown to the reception in the event that folks wanted pictures, and it was more fun & less stuffy this way.... FAR more relaxed. If you want the full wedding gown at the Courthouse, you're entitled, although I think that most people opt for more sedate clothing (a white dress & a suit or something like that).

Question: whats the process of a civil marriage in california? i'm planning on getting married with my boyfriend, and its only a civil marriage. Where are places i can go to get married, or whats the fees, the process, etc thanks

Answer: Here are a few links that might help; http://www.wedalert.com/content/articles… http://www.dhs.ca.gov/hisp/chs/ovr/marri… http://marriage.about.com/cs/marriagelic… http://www.dhs.ca.gov/hisp/chs/ovr/marri…

Question: Catholics, Why do we have a problem with same-sex CIVIL marriage? I'm a devout Catholic and I know that according to our faith, marriage is a religous sacrement and only "counts" if done under the Church. Therefore, we don't see civil marriage as marriage at all, so why do we care so much if gay people get "married", as long as we are not forced to perform them within the Church? Thanks so much! God Bless!

Answer: I'm a firm believer that love is a spiritual concept, not just an emotional one. That being the case, sure, marriage is sacramental and that seems to be what The Church recognizes. I'm also a believer of "mind my own business" when the situation calls for it, which is most of the time. I've got my own stuff to deal with without worrying about what other people might be getting themselves into. However, I also believe in helping other people which also calls for getting myself into the business of other people. But I also believe that it's God who directs my assistance. What am I getting at here? Okay, The Church reserves the right to not marry people. Other people do do things that are wrong and it's not my job to walk around condemning them but if I'm so directed, I can and will state truth. Homosexuality is not the correct thing to do. That has nothing to do with my opinion. I'm not going to condemn anybody for it. I do lots of things that aren't correct all the time. We're all subjected to that and those are the battles we face, however deeply those things are ingrained within us, even convincing ourselves that these things are beyond our power or choice or beyond God's power or choice. However much manipulation of thought we can conjure still doesn't change truth and doesn't change God or what He says.